High Level Groups in the area of energy infrastructure

The High Level Groups discuss energy issues in European regions that have been identified as being of high priority. They are organised by the European Commission and bring together representatives from EU countries in the region, transmission system operators, and regulators. They provide strategic steering and policy guidance on technical topics and monitor the progress of current Projects of Common Interest (PCIs).

Currently there are four High Level Groups active in the area of energy.

Central and South Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC) works to accelerate the integration of central eastern and south eastern European gas and electricity markets. The CESEC High Level Working Group was set up by Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and the EU in February 2015. They were joined later by eight Energy Community (organisation bringing EU and its neighbours together to create an integrated pan-European energy market) contracting parties: Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

North Seas Energy Cooperation works to promote interconnected deployment of offshore renewable energy in the North Seas region and the creation of a grid linking Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

South-West Europe works to enhance the integration of the Iberian Peninsula energy markets with the rest of Europe. Its overarching objective is to ensure regular monitoring of the key infrastructure projects identified in the Madrid Declaration, which undertakes to strengthen the energy networks connecting France, Spain and Portugal.

The Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) works to further integrate the Baltic States' energy market by improving energy infrastructure in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. In 2015, the scope of BEMIP was extended to include security of supply, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and various aspects of the integration of the Baltic States' electricity network into the continental European network, including their synchronous operation.